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Summary

Agglomerated enclosed hut circle settlement on the north-facing slope of Bellever Tor, containing up to four hut circles. The settlement consists of at least ten elements, which have been added to the central primary enclosure, radiating outwards.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1018512: A prehistoric settlement with enclosures, an irregular aggregate field system and cairn north of Bellever Tor

Other References/Statuses

• MPP Archaeological Item Dataset: 144288
• National Monuments Record: SX67NW40
• National Record of the Historic Environment: 442623
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NW/229
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SX67NW/229/2
• Old SAM County Ref: 889
• Old SAM Ref: 28689
• Old SAM Ref: 28689.5

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• FIELD BOUNDARY (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• FIELD SYSTEM (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• HUT CIRCLE SETTLEMENT (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))
• WALL (Constructed, Bronze Age - 2200 BC (Between) to 701 BC (Between))

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 1880-1899, First Edition Ordnance 25 inch map (Cartographic). SDV336179.

Three 'Hut Circles' shown on 19th century map,

Royal Air Force, 1946, RAF/CPE/UK/1890, 2463-5 (Aerial Photograph). SDV169268.

Royal Air Force, 1964, RAF/F63/58/6399, 028-29 (Aerial Photograph). SDV229824.

Enclosures surround these hut circles ; the eastern two lie within a central enclosure of stone walling, the western one lies within a roughly concentric wall. Another wall encloses a further area to the south.

National Monuments Record, 1979, SF1509, 231-234 (Aerial Photograph). SDV262885.

Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division, 1979, SX67NW40 (Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Card). SDV347718.

(19/04/1979) On the north slope of Bellever Tor, at 400m. O.D. there is a small settlement of three huts of Type 1 (SX 56 SE 19) within a field system of 3.5 ha. (see plan).
One hut, at SX 64397683, is built into a field wall: the others, at SX 64477680 and SX 64477681, may represent the original homestead although they are linked by walling which subdivides an apparently primary field.
The huts have internal diameters measuring from 5.0m. to 6.6m. rubble walling 1.1m. to 1.8m wide. The inner face of each hut wall has contiguous facing slabs 0.5m. high. Entrances are to the south-east (see ground photograph).
At SX 64447672 a small circular structure has been built against a field wall. It has an internal diameter of 1.8m., with no visible entrance.
Fields are defined by rubble walling, generally 1.6m. wide and up to 0.4m. high. The primary field measures 62m. by 75m.and is curvilinear, as are those that form the sequential extensions to the system. The areas vary considerably, from.025 ha. to about 1.0 ha., though the larger ones may have low sub-dividing walls which are now concealed beneath the turf.
Surveyed at 1:10 000 on M.S.D. and at 1:2500.

Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, 1985, Aerial Photograph Project (Dartmoor) - Dartmoor Pre-NMP (Cartographic). SDV319854.

Agglomerated enclosure of ten, maybe more, elements apparently radiating out from a central enclosure containing two hut circles. One other element has incorporated in its walls a hut circle. Two further elements are attached to this agglomerated enclosure in the north-west with a hut circle, within one element. Visible on 1979 National Monuments Record and 1946 Royal Air Force aerial photographs showing it partly extending into the Lakehead Hill plantation.

Gerrard, S., 1990-2002, Monument Protection Programme. Archaeological Item Dataset., MPP 144288 (Report - Survey). SDV277946.

Agglomerated enclosure forming part of a prehistoric stone hut circle settlement north of Bellever Tor.

Butler, J., 1991, Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities: Volume Two - The North, 44-5, Map 27.9, Fig. 27.7 (Monograph). SDV219155.

Bellever Tor north settlement at SX644768 on the north-facing slope of the tor of 3.1 hectares which shows the rosette type of development, with the hut circles and smallest fields near the centre and progressively larger enclosures added on to the outside. Up to four huts are contained within the settlement. The plan of the settlement appears to be complete but all the banks are slight and the western boundary is hard to follow within the plantation.

Royal Commission for the Historical Monuments of England, 1993-1998, Dartmoor Royal Forest Project, S. Probert (Report - Survey). SDV346608.

(02/11/1993) Centred SX 64477682. A settlement comprising three, possibly four, hut circles and an associated field system on the gently sloping northern flank of Bellever Tor. The huts are relatively well preserved (details are tabulated below). The field system consists of at least nine adjoining enclosures varying in size from 0.02ha to 1.2ha bounded by turf and stone banks on average 1.6m wide and up to 0.5m high. The north western edge of the field system has been overplanted with conifers. Within the fields are five small heather covered cairns probably the result of stone clearance. They vary in size from 2.3m to 3.8m in diameter and 0.4m and 0.6m high. A further cairn (SX 67 NW 236) lies immediately outside the system and is probably sepulchral in origin.

Agricultural Development Advisory Service, 1995, Bellever (Worksheet). SDV262765.

Site visited 14th February 1995. Condition stable; much of field system covered by moss and heather.

English Heritage, 2005-2008, Prehistoric Survey Information (Cartographic). SDV345521.

Settlement with field system shown on survey.

Ordnance Survey, 2011, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV346129.

'Settlement and Field System' shown on modern mapping.

English Heritage, 2011, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV347072.

The monument, which falls into five areas of protection, includes an agglomerated enclosure and irregular aggregate field system containing stone hut circles and a round cairn lying on a ridge between Bellever Tor and Lakehead Hill. The monument overlooks the valleys of the Cherry Brook and East Dart River.
This record pertains to an agglomerated enclosure. This survives as at least ten irregular shaped areas each defined by boulder and rubble walling. Four stone hut circles survive within the enclosure and three of these are butted by enclosure walling. Sitting next to the north eastern side of the enclosure is a small cairn measuring 3.7 metres in diameter and standing up to 0.5 metres high.

Dartmoor National Park Authority, 2014, Bellever: An Archaeological Landscape (Leaflet). SDV357070.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events

• EDV7388 - Archaeological condition survey in Bellever Woods
• EDV7406 - Archaeological condition survey in Bellever Woods
• EDV7431 - Woodland Survey (1989-90) at Bellever, Soussons and other woodland parcels
• EDV8409 - Dartmoor Royal Forest Project

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